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Make users accountable thanks to social media

Energy Services Companies struggle to convince users to save sustainably energy in their professional environment. Simultaneously, the Internet and social networks let spring up new ways of rating services providers. Indeed, “consumers have more power than ever before to call attention to bad products, services, and experiences”. Thus, app developers or luxury touristic hotels can face good and bad reviews from their customers for the value they bring. What if Energy Services Companies used social media to point their users’ bad or energy-wasting behaviours?

Of course, like Michael SCHRAGE said in his very good article about social networks’ power for firms, we are not “talking about restaurants tweeting the names of reservation no-shows or posting photos of receipts with horrible tips”. The purpose is “designing reasonable, rational, and reliable mechanisms for encouraging customers to think twice before behaving badly.”

“Accountability and transparency cut both ways.”

Energy Services Companies, where Energy Performance Contracts depend also on users’ behaviours, are firms, which “have little choice but to invest in mechanisms that encourage greater accountability and better behaviour from their customers.” Thus, so far, raising awareness through posters campaigns or tips broadcasting are often used to help these firms improve building’s users’ behaviours.

As an example, we could imagine Operations & Maintenance Services provider rating users’ behaviours in terms of energy consumption per building or even per floor. Obviously, an individual rating wouldn’t meet customers expectations in terms of social peace, but at least groups’ ratings could make sense. The purpose, here, would be to create a symmetry of accountability and transparency between customers, users and services providers.

“Social media make wonderful platforms for “nudging ” people into making choices that reduce the chances of unhappy outcomes.”

What platform could you build and use to make your customers more accountable of their potential bad behaviours without losing your customers’

About Vincent BRYANT

Having an Executive MBA degree, realised simultaneously with his current job, Vincent BRYANT is currently in charge of Energy Efficiency within GDF SUEZ Energy Services. Over his 8-year experience in Energy Efficiency, he has focused on developing and executing business opportunities.